A vehicle traveling at 60 mph is moving at what rate in feet per second?

To determine the speed of a vehicle traveling at 60 miles per hour in feet per second, it's essential to perform a unit conversion.

There are 5280 feet in a mile and 3600 seconds in an hour. Thus, to convert miles per hour to feet per second, you multiply the speed in miles per hour by the conversion factor of 5280 feet per mile and divide by 3600 seconds per hour.

This calculation looks like this:

1. Start with the speed: 60 miles per hour.

2. Convert to feet per second:

[

60 \text{ miles/hour} \times \frac{5280 \text{ feet/mile}}{3600 \text{ seconds/hour}} = \frac{60 \times 5280}{3600}

]

3. Doing the math:

[

\frac{316800}{3600} = 88 \text{ feet/second}

]

This calculation shows that a vehicle moving at 60 miles per hour is indeed moving at 88 feet per second. Understanding this conversion process is crucial for radar operators, as they often need to interpret and relay vehicle speeds accurately in various units.